


Idiots in love

by Gbookworm1737



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Protective Bucky Barnes, Secret Crush, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 17:31:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17964974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gbookworm1737/pseuds/Gbookworm1737
Summary: Tony and Bucky have been flirting with each other for months now, oblivious to the feelings they secretly have for each other. Steve, along with the other avengers, are getting tired of it.





	Idiots in love

**Author's Note:**

> Been so long since I posted something. Hope you enjoy!

Steve had seen a lot of things in his days, especially since being friends with Bucky. He’d seen his lifelong friend charm his way into dames’ panties while he stood along the sidelines pinning over Peggy. Before his mind had been wiped by hydra, Bucky had been the smoothest sailor in all of Brooklyn.

Granted, given the kidnapping, torture, and pain that his best friend had endured over the decades, it was no surprise that the Bucky from the forties and the Bucky adjusting to the twenty-first century were completely different.

Bucky had grown accustomed to technology quickly. After all, he had always dragged Steve to those science expos in the forties, babbling about flying cars with a dame on each arm.

Point is, Bucky had game. And apparently, judging from what Steve was currently witnessing, Bucky _still_ had game. Not once in Steve’s entire life, was there one person who could charm your socks off like Bucky.

Except for Tony Stark.

It was fascinating, really. Watching them go at it was like watching a ping pong match.

Back and forth.

It seemed harmless at first. Both giving each other compliments with hidden sexual innuendos. They egged each other on, feeding off their dirty minds and always one upping the other. Flirting for them was as easy as breathing. Steve prided himself in being quick to realize that the way Tony and Bucky acted with each other was not how they acted with anyone else.

Together, they shared witty comebacks and subtle touches. Steve noticed how Tony’s eyes would linger whenever Bucky left the kitchen to go spar. Or how Bucky’s eyes would trail Tony’s behind whenever the genius would bend over at his work station.

Naturally, everyone else knew what was going on.

Except for Tony and Bucky, of course.

Steve masked his grin behind his mug when Natasha brushed her arm against Tony’s, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, simply to see Bucky’s reaction.

The ex-assassin frowned, eyebrows scrunched up as he watched the redhead sway her hips over to grab an apple and plop down next to Steve. She kicked her feet up on the table and bit into the crunchy flesh.

“Steve.” she greeted.

“Tasha,” Steve replied, glancing up at her briefly to acknowledge her presence before flipping back to the newspaper. “Play nice.” He warned, a small smile on his lips.

“I’m always nice,” Natasha snorted. “I’d be a lot nicer if twiddle dee and twiddle dumb got their heads out of their own asses.”

“Language.” Steve softly chided, flipping a page.

Oblivious to their conversation, Bucky sipped on this new tea Bruce had convinced him to try and simply watched the sleepy engineer move around the kitchen. Predictably, Tony arrived at the coffee machine first. Blearily, the smaller man looked around for a mug and frowned adorably when he came up empty. He opened the cabinet and groaned as he noticed his mugs had been moved to the highest shelf. Even on tippy toes, Tony’s fingers barely touched the bottom of the shelf.

“Who keeps moving my damn mugs?” He grumbled, turning to Bucky. “Hey Buckaroo, what’s say you reach up and get my mug off the shelf hmm?”

“It was probably Clint doll,” Bucky replied, eyes twinkling with amusement. He leaned back against the kitchen sink, body tilted towards the sleep-deprived genius. He sipped on his tea while his other hand rested on the counter. “And I don’t think you should be having more caffeine. How much sleep did ya get?”

Tony waved Bucky’s question off. Clint came rushing in, taking one glance at the oblivious duo before pulling up a seat next to Natasha.

“What did I miss?” he whispered.

“Tony’s not too happy with your prank and Bucky is going into mother hen mode.” Steve replied, gazing over the sports section.

Clint snatched Natasha’s half-eaten apple out of her hand and took a bite. He tossed it back to her. She caught it one-handed and threw a deadly glare at the archer.

“You’re dead to me.” She stated, turning her gaze to Steve. “Mother hen mode?” She inquired.

“Mmm,” Steve agreed. “Yeah, Bucky can get real protective over people half his size. Happened to me before the serum when I always used to pick fights. Now it’s with Tony, because we all know the man would choose the lab over upkeeping his basic needs. Hence, mother hen mode.”

Clint snorted, “Yeah but I bet Bucky didn’t ogle your ass the way he ogles Tony’s.”

“Tony does have a cute behind.” Natasha supplied.

Bucky, who seemed to pick up on their conversation due to his enhanced hearing, glared at Natasha. Clint fell back into his chair laughing while Steve hid his smirk behind the paper. Blearily, Tony glanced over his shoulder.

“I got a bone to pick with you birdbrain.” 

“Can’t reach the shelf shortie?” Clint smirked. “Why don’t you get your Bucky bear to help you?”

Tony coloured instantly. No one could forget the time the avengers sought out refuge in Tony’s family mansion during one of those undercover raids against a secret hydra group in New York. The mansion had been abandoned for decades and the last place any villain would suspect the infamous avengers to take use as a hideout.

Nevertheless, coming across Tony’s secret stash of comics dedicated to Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes had Clint rolling on the floor with laughter. What made it worse was a Bucky bear stuffy that Tony regrettably admitted helped him through his nightmares as a kid.

Bucky simply preened with the compliment, but Tony had been much too embarrassed to notice the ex-assassin’s reaction. It had been a running joke in the tower ever since.

“We made an oath we’d never bring Bucky bear up again.” Tony grumbled. He turned back to Bucky and pointed at the display of mugs. “ _Bucky_. Shelf.”

“ _Tony_. Sleep.” Bucky smiled at the adorable frown on the smaller man’s face. He couldn’t help it, Tony had the prettiest doe eyes he’d ever seen.

Bruce had joined them at this point, sitting behind Steve while reading the mindful meditation section in the bottom right corner. He looked up at the two in awe. “I Can’t believe it,” He said. “Bucky’s the world’s deadliest ex-assassin and yet he’s so…”

“Soft?” Natasha supplied.

“Whipped?” Clint chuckled.

Bucky glared at them _hard._

“And we’re back to deadly assassin.” Clint scooted closer to Steve. “Steve, buddy, did I ever tell you how much I admire your bravery?”

“I’m not protecting you.” Steve deadpanned.

“What are they talking about?” Tony questioned, looking over to the group. Bucky closed the cabinet door and shrugged nonchalantly.

“No idea. You, on the other hand, need some sleep.”

Tony frowned. “Do not.”

“I beg to differ,” Bucky placed his mug in the sink and approached the genius. “How many hours did ya get doll?”

“Good full eight hours.”

“Mhm,” Bucky narrowed his eyes. He looked up to the ceiling for confirmation. “FRIDAY?”

“ _Sir has acquired a total of eight hours of sleep in the last thirty-six hours.”_

“Jesus, Tony.” Bucky breathed. “Alright, that’s it you’re coming with me.”

Tony held his hands up, blocking Bucky from reaching him. “Easy hot stuff.” Tony rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “I can’t sleep yet, I’m going to get a nightmare.”

“Then I’ll sleep with ya.” Bucky checked his watch. “I can go for a nap.”

“Trying to get me in bed soldier?” Tony teased, batting his eyes coyly. “All you had to do was ask.”

Clint pushed back against his seat, vigorously tapping Steve’s shoulder. “Oh my God, it’s happening.”

Steve shrugged Clint off playfully. “Be quiet or you’ll spook them.”

Bucky leaned in, smirk predatory. “Hmm, tempting. But I’d rather have ya catching a restful sleep. How ‘bout it doll? C’mon no coffee.”

Tony pouted but got off the counter. “You’ll come upstairs?” he asked, hopeful.

Bucky gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be right up doll. Go get into something comfy.”

Stunned, the group watched Tony tread out of his grimy old clothes and head for the elevator. Bruce turned to the group, expression awed. “In all my years working with Tony I’ve never seen someone successfully come between him and his coffee.”

“Bucky’s got the magic hands,” Clint smirked, displaying jazz hands. “Too bad he’s too chicken shit to do anything about it.”

“Got something to say Barton?” Bucky asked, appearing behind the archer who promptly jumped in surprise along with Bruce. Natasha and Steve remained stoic.

“Hey Bucky.” Clint smiled. “Nope, nothing to say. Hey!” Clint squawked as Bucky grabbed the back of his chair with one hand while gripping the base with the other, tilting the archer backwards. Clint caught hold of the sides and gulped.

“Bucky-” Steve warned, though he looked mildly concerned.

“Listen here _birdbrain,”_ Bucky said. “Me and Tony’s relationship ain’t got nothing to do with anyone but us _._ You got anything else to say?”

“No Sir.”

Bucky smiled. “Good.” He pushed the chair forward, causing the archer to stumble as he balanced himself. Bucky snatched the half-eaten apple out of Natasha’s hand and walked towards the elevator.

The group stayed silent as they watched Bucky board the elevator. It wasn’t until the doors closed that Clint spoke up.

“We’re still bugging them about this right?”

“Absolutely.” They said in unison.

~*~

Weeks passed as Bucky and Tony continued to sit daringly close during movie nights along with Bucky visiting Tony for hours on end during his lab.

Steve was getting fed up with the whole charade.

He was in the middle of his weekly session with the punching bag when he caught Tony and Bucky sparring. Much to Tony’s annoyance, Bucky had insisted that the genius learn hand-to-hand combat in case there ever was a situation where Tony was left defenceless without his armour.

Bucky could have easily used all his strength, but it was clear he had toned back for Tony. Back in the day, Bucky would have gotten bored by now, hanging around someone for this long. Of course, Steve knew Tony wasn’t just some dame to be tossed around.

It was at that moment Steve realized that the reason why Bucky wasn’t making a move wasn’t because he couldn’t, but he was indeed, in Clint’s words _, chicken shit._

Oh, this all made sense now.

Bucky didn’t just have a playschool crush.

His best friend was head over heels for Tony.

He glanced over as Bucky rearranged Tony’s fighting stance, a move that seemed innocent enough if it weren’t for the way his fingers lingered a second too long on Tony’s hips.

_Oh, Bucky had it bad._

“C’mon doll, ya gotta take this seriously. For me?”

Tony groaned. “I’m telling you Barnes I’m never out of my suit. Besides, I feel like this is all some plan to get me underneath you.” Tony teased waggling his eyebrows.

Bucky snorted, mouth twitching up in a smile. “Can’t hide anything from ya, can I doll? C’mon, up you get.”

Tony stood up, taking his time to stretch. He lazily threw his hands up in a classic fighting position. “Come at me soldier.”

“You couldn’t handle me.”

Tony made a noise of disbelief. “Try me. Two hits; me hitting you and you hitting the floor.”

Bucky barked on laughter. He approached the genius, stalking towards him like prey. His moves were languid for a body his size. His eyes twinkled in mirth. “You’re all talk aren’t ya Stark? I betcha do that to compensate for your small size.”

Tony spluttered. “How dare you! I’ll have you know I’m compact- _oof.”_

Bucky caught hold of Tony’s exposed left side, hitting a pressure point below the kidneys before catching the man’s waist and dropping him to the mat. He refrained from using all his force, but he could still hear the air leaving Tony’s body. At the last minute, Tony had clamped his ankles around Bucky, causing his ankles to buckle as he fell on top of Tony with a grunt.

Tony’s wheeze turned into a chuckle. “That was _dirty_ fighting Barnes.” Tony purred, eyes shinning like the Cheshire cat.

“Nah doll,” Bucky grinned. “What’s dirty is saying how much I’m liking this new position.”

Steve held his breath. He continued to punch the bag, refusing to interrupt this monumental moment.

Tony scoffed. “As if I’m the bottom!”

“Doll, you are so the bottom. I mean just look at how small you are. Besides you’re always asking to be the little spoon when we cuddle.” In a flash, Tony shifted his weight and jerked his hips, flipping Bucky onto his back. The ex-assassin looked stunned, before breaking out into a cheeky grin. “A power bottom then.”

Tony shoved him away half-heartedly, laughing. “Shut up.”

Steve sighed.

_Darn it._

~*~

When Natasha had first gotten to the tower, she thought that the building was just another place to reside in. She hadn’t anticipated the bonds she would form with her fellow teammates, nor did she anticipate Tony building her an indoor pool. Given that Tony was afraid of water, the action made Natasha’s heart swell.

Because the tower was huge, she hadn’t expected anyone to be using it by the time she arrived in the late afternoon. The last person she expected was Tony.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the genius hold Bucky’s hand. His face looked pale, but his free hand brushed against the water experimentally. Both were shirtless and standing in the shallow end. Bucky stood dangerously close to Tony, rubbing soothing circles down his back.

As quietly as possible, Natasha exited the pool area. She waited twenty steps before she dashed to the gym.

Steve was punching, Bruce meditating, and Clint perching. They all paused as they saw Natasha with a gleam in her eyes.

“Oh no,” Clint sighed. “What is it this time? They brushed hands and giggled like school girls?”

“Even better.” Natasha replied. “Bucky is helping Tony in the pool.”

Steve stilled the movement of the punching bag. “Tony, as in _our_ Tony? In the pool?”

Natasha nodded.

“Do you know what this means?” Bruce said. “Tony hasn’t been anywhere near water except when absolutely necessary. FRIDAY pull up the security cameras for the pool area.”

Within seconds a blue hologram appeared above the group. Sitting on the ledge was Tony, his feet submerged in the water up to his ankles. They were on the shallow end. Bucky stood in front of Tony, the water raised to his waist.

Tony’s hands tightened around the edge of the pool. He looked tense, but attentive to whatever Bucky was saying that obviously soothed his nerves. He even cracked a smile, splashing water at Bucky with his foot.

“They’re hopeless. I give up.” Clint muttered.

“How can two people be so oblivious?” Bruce wondered. Natasha glanced at Steve, arching her right eyebrow before glancing back at the screen.

“Alright, alright.” He grumbled. “I’ll talk to Buck.”

Natasha smiled. She held Steve’s forearm and gave it a squeeze, rubbing her thumb across his skin as a sign of thanks. She strolled out of the room, unaware of Steve’s eyes discretely watching her leave.

By the time he looked up, he caught Clint’s grin and promptly blushed. He scowled, and returned to his punching bag, trying to focus on the task at hand.

_One thing at a time Rogers._

~*~  

“It wasn’t a big deal, okay?”

“No, Tony. It’s not okay. You could’ve been seriously injured. Are ya capable of getting that through your thick head?”

Steve paused mid-step before entering the communal kitchen. They had just finished debriefing after a rough fight that left Tony quite banged up. Ironman had ignored Steve’s order of heading into the collapsed building to save the little girl’s cat. Understandably, Bucky was quite pissed.

“What, so I was just supposed to let that poor cat get crushed? Who knows if that furball was on its ninth life?”

Bucky’s shoulders tensed. “Can you not joke about this right now?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Can’t help it Buckaroo. Humour is my coping mechanism.”

“And how do ya think I would have coped if I lost you today?”

Tony choked on a laugh. “It was a building, _Barnes._ I’m fine okay? A little bruising sure, but nothing too serious.”

“Yeah, well, it could have been serious.” Barnes spat, shaking his head. “You don’t get it, do you Tony? You’re not invincible, that suit can’t save you all the time.”

“So what? You’re going to get captain tight pants to bench me.”

Steve frowned. _Okay, rude._

Bucky gave Tony a sharp look. “If that’s what it would take for you to stop being so reckless, maybe I will.”

Steve watched Tony’s lips purse. Without a word, the genius left the room and stepped into the hallway, nearly bumping into Steve.

Tony’s eyes flashed in surprise. He cooled his gaze within seconds and gave Steve a nod in greeting.

“Cap.”

“Tony,” Steve replied, resting a comforting hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Take easy okay?” He replied, trying not to sound too worried.

Tony flashed a bright smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Will do cap.”

Steve watched Tony leave. He couldn’t say that he didn’t agree with Bucky’s reasoning, Tony’s actions were reckless, but his heart was in the right place.

As he strolled into the kitchen, he met Bucky’s gaze and offered him a small smile.

“Yer a bad eavesdropper punk.” Bucky stated, opening the fridge and pulling out a pitcher of orange juice. “Want some?”

“Sure Buck.” Steve pulled up a chair and sat at the island. Bucky slid him a glass like he was a professional bartender. “Want to talk about it?”

Bucky hopped up onto the counter and shook his head, looking anywhere but Steve’s eyes. “Nothin’ to talk about. Stark’s a stubborn brat who can’t take any orders to save his life.”

“I figured him not taking orders is what you like about him.”

Steve watched in great satisfaction at the blush that coloured his best friend’s cheeks. Bucky cleared his throat. He placed his glass on the counter and cooled his expression. “Ain’t ever said I liked the fella.”

“Oh, come off it Bucky.” Steve sighed. “I haven’t seen you this far gone for anyone. I remember dames chasing you left and right and now you’re the one chasing Tony, blushing at the mention of his name. The Bucky I remember didn’t blush for no one.”

Bucky scowled, eyebrows pinched. “I don’t blush for him ya punk.” He hopped down from the counter and crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive position. “And I ain’t stuck on Tony. I’m just looking out for him because he’s clearly not capable of surviving on his own.”

“Bucky,” Steve tried, in a softer tone. “We both know it’s more than that. Is it because he’s a guy? Because I watched this Netflix documentary, and I gotta say, people are more accepting of-”

“Jesus Christ Stevie,” Bucky hissed, storming past him and into the hallway. He made a quick check of his surroundings to ensure that they were alone before walking up to his best friend. “Fine, I like Tony. Happy? Now drop it.”

They waited a beat of silence before Steve said, “I want you to know that acceptance is the first step-”

Bucky shoved Steve’s shoulder. “Shut yer trap Rogers.” Steve barked on a laugh, swinging an arm over his best friend’s shoulders, much to Bucky’s dismay of grumbling.

“God I’m such an idiot. He looked so hurt after I yelled at him.” Bucky ran his metal hand over his face, suddenly confused and exhausted all at once.

“You were just looking out for him Buck,” Steve encouraged, pulling back. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, he loves you too.”

Bucky gave him a weary look. “You sure Stevie?”

“James Buchanan Barnes, you’re the only person besides Rhodey and Pepper who is able to pull Tony from a three-day binge and even then, I don’t think they ever successfully stopped Tony from fueling his caffeine addiction. The only time he comes down to the gym is to spar with you and he always sits next to you during movie nights. To top it all off, you’re the only person in the world he trusts next to a swimming pool. If those aren’t enough signs, then I don’t know what else I can do.”

Bucky nodded his head and clicked his tongue. “Whole team knows, don’t they?”

“Yup.”

“Everyone but Tony and I? Even Happy, Pepper and Rhodey?”

“Yup.”

“So what you’re saying is I gotta get my head out of my arse, go apologize to Tony and then confess my love?”

Steve shrugged his shoulders. “Sums it up, yeah.”

“Alright,” Bucky nodded clapping a hand on Steve’s arm in appreciation. He walked past him then halted, facing his best friend with a smirk. “So, what does it mean if Nat always sits next to you during movie nights? Or how last week she placed her hand on your knee and ya went bright red?”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up and promptly threw an orange at Bucky who successfully dodged the fruit, laughter bellowing in the hallway.

_And this is the thanks I get._

_~*~_

Tony was working on a way to make his suit strong enough to support the weight of any future building fiascos when he caught a glimpse of a super soldier entering the punch code to the lab.

_Damn his sleep idled brain for giving Bucky access to his lab._

Tony turned away from the super soldier and continued to map out possible equations for his next suit. His leg bounced, a nervous tick the way it always seemed to whenever Bucky was around.

“Hey FRIDAY, cut the music please?”

“ _Certainly, Mister Barnes.”_  

The deafening sound of AC/DC halted, leaving only a ringing noise in Tony’s ears. “I was listening to that.”

“Can I talk to you?”

“No can do, Buckaroo. I’m busy making a new suit so I don’t screw up like I always do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy. Dum-E can show you out.”

The bot whirled excitedly at being mentioned. Bucky knelt and gave the robot a pat, smiling as it bumped against Bucky’s knee.

_Damn Bucky for forming relationships with my creations._

“Steve and I had a talk after you left. Basically, told me what an idiot I was being.”

_Note to self: thank Steve._

“Oh really?” Tony said distractedly, “And why’s that?”

“Well ya see, he basically said I was an idiot for ignoring my feelings about a certain genius.”

Tony flipped a hologram to the trashcan, trying to look busy. “Your feelings?” He said, voice neutral despite his racing heart.

“Yeah, my feelings. About how sometimes I get upset at the thought of losing him, so I lash out after battles. But all I really want to do is swoop him up in a great big, old hug and cuddle with him until he feels better.”

Slowly, Tony turned around. His eyes were calculating as he watched the super soldier stand less than five feet away from him. Bucky’s hair was in a loose bun, along with a light hoodie and sweats. He was barefoot and beautiful, with an expression of calmness and determination lingering in his eyes.

“Is that all you want to do? Cuddle?”

Bucky smiled and Tony felt a sickening feeling gripping his stomach at the sight of it. “No doll. There’s much more I’d like to do, but cuddling is a good place to start. Steve kinda led me to believe that this fella has a thing for me too. I’d hate to prove him wrong.”

_Note to self: Send Steve a fruit basket and flowers._

Tony took tentative steps towards the ex-assassin. He reached out to brush his fingers alongside Bucky’s. The super soldier took his hand firmly in his, brushing his thumb against his knuckles. “No, I think Steve was right. And this guy is really sorry he did something reckless and ended up scaring you.”

“Yeah well this guy is-” Bucky stopped with a laugh. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this anymore. Doll can I kiss you?”

Tony snorted, nodding his head. “Sure thing, soldier.”

Bucky smiled, bumping his head against Tony’s playfully before leaning down for a searing kiss, trying his best to express all the pent-up emotions that had been brewing for Tony for months. Tony gave as good as he got, until the two had to pull away to catch their breath.

“We’ve been pretty stupid huh?”

Bucky took Tony’s hand and gave a kiss to each finger. “Nah doll, we just took our time is all.”

“Wanna know who else is taking their time?” Bucky hummed. “Steve and Nat.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up. “Noticed that too huh?”

“Of course, they’re not as sneaky as they look. Cap turns into a fire truck every time she looks at him.”

“Well I guess it’s only polite to return the favour.” Bucky replied, ducking in for another kiss. “But first, how bout we go upstairs, and I’ll draw you a bath, see where the night takes us?”

Tony kissed Bucky once more. “I’m all yours soldier.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you liked! Peace, love, cheers!


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